Pitcher Arrested On Kidnapping, Battery Charges

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas pitcher Thomas Altimont was suspended indefinitely after being arrested early Friday morning and charged with kidnapping and third-degree domestic battery.

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn announced the suspension a few hours after the 21-year-old Altimont was booked into the Washington County Jail at 8:30 a.m. He was released at 2:25 p.m. after posting $10,000 bond.

Altimont’s arrest came after Fayetteville police responded to a domestic disturbance call at 1:25 a.m. The preliminary report stated police were advised the two individuals involved were locked in a bedroom – one against her will.

“Thomas Altimont has been suspended indefinitely from our team, effectively immediately,” Van Horn said. “We will take the time to review the matter thoroughly and make any further determinations next week. We have high standards for our student-athletes and they will conduct themselves appropriately. We stress accountability in the University of Arkansas baseball program and endangering the safety of others and other inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.”

The report stated the responding officers entered the apartment and forced their way into the locked bedroom. There, they found Altimont leaning over a female who was crying. Altimont did not comply with the officers’ initial request to leave the bedroom and eventually was escorted into the main room, according to the report.

The female told police she had been picked up at her dorm room by a friend earlier in the night, according to the report. They picked up Altimont from a bar on Dickson Street a later. Altimont and the female victim then were involved in a verbal dispute in the car after he went through her cell phone, according to the report.

Altimont forcibly removed the female from the car once they had arrived at his residence, according to the report. He carried her upstairs while she was kicking and screaming to get away. She escaped when they reached the top of the stairs, but was captured again and forced into his apartment.

She escaped again once inside the apartment, but Altimont captured her again and pulled her back inside, according to the report. Altimont was confronted by his roommate who “expressed concern about what was happening.” Altimont then began “punching a closet door, putting a large hole in it, and choking himself,” according to the report. He then locked himself in the bedroom with the female.

The victim told police Altimont threw her on the bed and, at one point, bit her hair and pulled it from her scalp, according to the report. The officers observed red marks on the female’s arms and neck. She told officers both were “causing her pain.”

The report noted the female was visibly distraught, “crying and shaking” when speaking with police about the incident. Altimont was placed under arrest and has a court appearance set for March 13, according to the Washington County website.

The pitcher transferred to Arkansas from McLennan Community College and has appeared in six games this season. He is 1-0 with a 1.59 earned run average.

He made an appearance in Tuesday’s doubleheader against New Mexico, facing two batters. He walked one and hit the other during Arkansas’ 3-0 loss.

Altimont’s arrest also came hours before the 10th-ranked Razorbacks opened a three-game series against No. 3 LSU in Baum Stadium.